Where in the World is Chael Sonnen?

If you’re on this site, you obviously know a little bit about the world of mixed martial arts; and over the past few years virtually anyone at some point has heard a quote from the infamous, Chael Sonnen. The fast-talking, arrogant, at times obnoxious, hilarious, former professional MMA fighter had a blazing fast rise to the top of the rankings within the UFC franchise, and it all seemed to crumble just as fast.

Chael exploded onto the MMA scene in 1997 with his first fight, then gained stardom via the UFC around 2009. The former Politian had built a name for himself beating opponents such as Brian Stann, Nate Marquardt, and Michael Bisping. No matter how many men Sonnen defeated, his ultimate goal was to fight the best. Eventually, an opportunity to fight the cream of the crop came along and Chael jumped at the chance to duke it out with then champ, Anderson Silva. After fighting the Spider twice and losing both times, Sonnen’s diligent approach to asking for fights began to quickly dissipate. He continued to compete fighting Jon Jones, Mauricio Rua, and Rashad Evans before the UFC pulled the plug on his contract. They terminated the former real estate agent for continuing to fail drug tests. He was also scorned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission by being globally suspended from MMA competitions for a two year period that began on July 23rd, 2014.

So, what exactly does one do after becoming insanely famous for fighting in the UFC to being fired with nothing really else going on employment wise? He went into the pizza business, opening “Mean Streets Pizza” and had success with the food industry. Even selling pizza slices came at price to Sonnen as there was a controversial lawsuit that went on between him and his co-owner over unpaid rent and embezzlement! Most patrons probably went into his pizza shop in hopes to bump into the former UFC middleweight, but even with his name riding on the company Chael sold his piece of the pizza pie and the business is currently under new direction.

Will he return to selling real estate? Who knows as even that has a rough track record after Sonnen pleaded guilty to money laundering and mortgage fraud back in 2011. It’s as if nothing Sonnen does is without ill will or some illegal undertone. If you’ve ever heard him speak publicly you know he is destined for the entertainment business, like him or hate him, he has an over the top personality that belongs nowhere else but on television. He may just be returning to primetime if the rumors are true that he and Wanderlei Silva have both been in cahoots with the World Wrestling Entertainment organization to chat it up during the next WrestleMania event. This is scheduled for March 29th in California, but it isn’t entirely clear yet whether or not the former UFC contenders will be taking that offer up. Stay tuned to find out if both men will embark on a path in the WWE, as most would presume it’s extremely fitting for their personalities!